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Chavda VP, Ghali ENHK, Balar PC, Chauhan SC, Tiwari N, Shukla S, Athalye M, Patravale V, Apostolopoulos V, Yallapu MM. Protein subunit vaccines: Promising frontiers against COVID-19. J Control Release 2024; 366:761-782. [PMID: 38219913 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented global health crisis, challenging the healthcare systems worldwide. Amidst the rapid development of several vaccine formulations, protein subunit vaccines have emerged as a promising approach. This article provides an in-depth evaluation of the role of protein subunit vaccines in the management of COVID-19. Leveraging viral protein fragments, particularly the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2, these vaccines elicit a targeted immune response without the risk of inducing disease. Notably, the robust safety profile of protein subunit vaccines makes them a compelling candidate in the management of COVID-19. Various innovative approaches, including reverse vaccinology, virus like particles, and recombinant modifications are incorporated to develop protein subunit vaccines. In addition, the utilization of advanced manufacturing techniques facilitates large-scale production, ensuring widespread distribution. Despite these advancements, challenges persist, such as the requirement for cold-chain storage and the necessity for booster doses. This article evaluates the formulation and applications of protein subunit vaccines, providing a comprehensive overview of their clinical development and approvals in the context of COVID-19. By addressing the current status and challenges, this review aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimizing protein subunit vaccines for effective pandemic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek P Chavda
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat, India.
| | - Eswara Naga Hanuma Kumar Ghali
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA; South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA.
| | - Pankti C Balar
- Pharmacy Section, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Subhash C Chauhan
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA; South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA.
| | - Nikita Tiwari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai 400019, India
| | - Somanshi Shukla
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai 400019, India
| | - Mansi Athalye
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L. M. College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Vandana Patravale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai 400019, India
| | - Vasso Apostolopoulos
- Institute for Health and Sport, Immunology and Translational Research, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia; Immunology Program, Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia.
| | - Murali M Yallapu
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA; South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen, TX 78504, USA.
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2
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Park J, Champion JA. Development of Self-Assembled Protein Nanocage Spatially Functionalized with HA Stalk as a Broadly Cross-Reactive Influenza Vaccine Platform. ACS NANO 2023; 17:25045-25060. [PMID: 38084728 PMCID: PMC10753887 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
There remains a need for the development of a universal influenza vaccine, as current seasonal influenza vaccines exhibit limited protection against mismatched, mutated, or pandemic influenza viruses. A desirable approach to developing an effective universal influenza vaccine is the incorporation of highly conserved antigens in a multivalent scaffold that enhances their immunogenicity. Here, we develop a broadly cross-reactive influenza vaccine by functionalizing self-assembled protein nanocages (SAPNs) with multiple copies of the hemagglutinin stalk on the outer surface and matrix protein 2 ectodomain on the inner surface. SAPNs were generated by engineering short coiled coils, and the design was simulated by MD GROMACS. Due to the short sequences, off-target immune responses against empty SAPN scaffolds were not seen in immunized mice. Vaccination with the multivalent SAPNs induces high levels of broadly cross-reactive antibodies of only external antigens, demonstrating tight spatial control over the designed antigen placement. This work demonstrates the use of SAPNs as a potential influenza vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeyoung Park
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-2000, United States
| | - Julie A. Champion
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-2000, United States
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Zhu Y, Cui M, Liu Y, Ma Z, Xi J, Tian Y, Hu J, Song C, Fan L, Li Q. Uptake Quantification of Antigen Carried by Nanoparticles and Its Impact on Carrier Adjuvanticity Evaluation. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 12:28. [PMID: 38250841 PMCID: PMC10818693 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12010028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Nanoparticles have been identified in numerous studies as effective antigen delivery systems that enhance immune responses. However, it remains unclear whether this enhancement is a result of increased antigen uptake when carried by nanoparticles or the adjuvanticity of the nanoparticle carriers. Consequently, it is important to quantify antigen uptake by dendritic cells in a manner that is free from artifacts in order to analyze the immune response when antigens are carried by nanoparticles. In this study, we demonstrated several scenarios (antigens on nanoparticles or inside cells) that are likely to contribute to the generation of artifacts in conventional fluorescence-based quantification. Furthermore, we developed the necessary assay for accurate uptake quantification. PLGA NPs were selected as the model carrier system to deliver EsxB protein (a Staphylococcus aureus antigen) in order to testify to the feasibility of the established method. The results showed that for the same antigen uptake amount, the antigen delivered by PLGA nanoparticles could elicit 3.6 times IL-2 secretion (representative of cellular immune response activation) and 1.5 times IL-12 secretion (representative of DC maturation level) compared with pure antigen feeding. The findings above give direct evidence of the extra adjuvanticity of PLGA nanoparticles, except for their delivery functions. The developed methodology allows for the evaluation of immune cell responses on an antigen uptake basis, thus providing a better understanding of the origin of the adjuvanticity of nanoparticle carriers. Ultimately, this research provides general guidelines for the formulation of nano-vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yupu Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Minxuan Cui
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Yutao Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Zhengjun Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Jiayue Xi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Yi Tian
- Department of Oncology, Airforce Medical Center of PLA, 30th Fu Cheng Road, Beijing 100142, China;
| | - Jinwei Hu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Chaojun Song
- School of Life Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127th Youyi West Road, Xi’an 710072, China;
| | - Li Fan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Airforce Medical University, 169th Changle West Road, Xi’an 710032, China; (Y.Z.); (M.C.); (Y.L.); (Z.M.); (J.X.); (J.H.)
| | - Quan Li
- Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong 999077, China
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Park J, Zhang Z, Belinskaya T, Tsoras AN, Chao CC, Jiang L, Champion JA. Dual-Antigen Subunit Vaccine Nanoparticles for Scrub Typhus. Pathogens 2023; 12:1390. [PMID: 38133275 PMCID: PMC10745692 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Orientia tsutsugamushi is the causative pathogen of scrub typhus, an acute febrile disease prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region that is spread to people through chigger bites. Despite the emerging threat, there is no currently available vaccine against O. tsutsugamushi. Here, we developed dual-antigen subunit vaccine nanoparticles using recombinant 47 kD and 56 kD proteins, which are immunogenic outer membrane antigens of O. tsutsugamushi. The biocompatible protein vaccine nanoparticles were formed via desolvation of r56 or r47E antigens with acetone, coating with an additional layer of the 56 kD protein, and stabilization with reducible homobifunctional DTSSP and heterobifunctional SDAD crosslinkers. The dual-antigen subunit vaccine nanoparticles significantly improved antigen-specific antibody responses in vaccinated mice. Most importantly, the dual-antigen nanoparticles coated with an additional layer of the 56 kD protein were markedly more immunogenic than soluble antigens or single-antigen nanoparticles in the context of cellular immune responses. Given the significance of cellular immune responses for protection against O. tsutsugamushi, these results demonstrate the potent immunogenicity of dual-layered antigen nanoparticles and their potential as a promising strategy for developing vaccines against scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeyoung Park
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Tatyana Belinskaya
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Alexandra N. Tsoras
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
| | - Chien-Chung Chao
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Le Jiang
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Julie A. Champion
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
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Apuzzo E, Agazzi M, Herrera SE, Picco A, Rizzo G, Chavero C, Bianchi D, Smaldini P, Cortez ML, Marmisollé WA, Padula G, Seoane A, Alomar ML, Denofrio MP, Docena G, Azzaroni O. Poly(allylamine)-tripolyphosphate Ionic Assemblies as Nanocarriers: Friend or Foe? ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023; 6:4714-4727. [PMID: 37863908 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Designing effective drug nanocarriers that are easy to synthesize, robust, and nontoxic is a significant challenge in nanomedicine. Polyamine-multivalent molecule nanocomplexes are promising drug carriers due to their simple and all-aqueous manufacturing process. However, these systems can present issues of colloidal instability over time and cellular toxicity due to the cationic polymer. In this study, we finely modulate the formation parameters of poly(allylamine-tripolyphosphate) complexes to jointly optimize the robustness and safety. Polyallylamine was ionically assembled with tripolyphosphate anions to form liquid-like nanocomplexes with a size of around 200 nm and a zeta potential of -30 mV. We found that nanocomplexes exhibit tremendous long-term stability (9 months of storage) in colloidal dispersion and that they are suitable as protein-loading agents. Moreover, the formation of nanocomplexes induced by tripolyphosphate anions produces a switch-off in the toxicity of the system by altering the overall charge from positive to negative. In addition, we demonstrate that nanocomplexes can be internalized by bone-marrow-derived macrophage cells. Altogether, these nanocomplexes have attractive and promising properties as delivery nanoplatforms for potential therapies based on the immune system activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Apuzzo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Agazzi
- Instituto para el Desarrollo Agroindustrial y de la Salud (IDAS), (UNRC, CONICET), Ruta Nacional 36 KM 601, 5800 Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Santiago E Herrera
- Instituto de Química de los Materiales, Ambiente y Energía (INQUIMAE), (UBA, CONICET), C1428EGA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Picco
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gastón Rizzo
- Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos (IIFP), (UNLP, CONICET), asociado a CIC-PBA, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Camila Chavero
- Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos (IIFP), (UNLP, CONICET), asociado a CIC-PBA, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Daiana Bianchi
- Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos (IIFP), (UNLP, CONICET), asociado a CIC-PBA, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Paola Smaldini
- Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos (IIFP), (UNLP, CONICET), asociado a CIC-PBA, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - María Lorena Cortez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Waldemar A Marmisollé
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gisel Padula
- Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout" (IGEVET), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo (FCNyM), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Analía Seoane
- Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout" (IGEVET), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Lis Alomar
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (INTECH), (UNSAM, CONICET) 7130, Chascomús, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Maria Paula Denofrio
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (INTECH), (UNSAM, CONICET) 7130, Chascomús, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Guillermo Docena
- Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos (IIFP), (UNLP, CONICET), asociado a CIC-PBA, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires ,Argentina
| | - Omar Azzaroni
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Park J, Pho T, Champion JA. Chemical and biological conjugation strategies for the development of multivalent protein vaccine nanoparticles. Biopolymers 2023; 114:e23563. [PMID: 37490564 PMCID: PMC10528127 DOI: 10.1002/bip.23563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
The development of subunit vaccine platforms has been of considerable interest due to their good safety profile and ability to be adapted to new antigens, compared to other vaccine typess. Nevertheless, subunit vaccines often lack sufficient immunogenicity to fully protect against infectious diseases. A wide variety of subunit vaccines have been developed to enhance antigen immunogenicity by increasing antigen multivalency, as well as stability and delivery properties, via presentation of antigens on protein nanoparticles. Increasing multivalency can be an effective approach to provide a potent humoral immune response by more strongly engaging and clustering B cell receptors (BCRs) to induce activation, as well as increased uptake by antigen presenting cells and their subsequent T cell activation. Proper orientation of antigen on protein nanoparticles is also considered a crucial factor for enhanced BCR engagement and subsequent immune responses. Therefore, various strategies have been reported to decorate highly repetitive surfaces of protein nanoparticle scaffolds with multiple copies of antigens, arrange antigens in proper orientation, or combinations thereof. In this review, we describe different chemical bioconjugation methods, approaches for genetic fusion of recombinant antigens, biological affinity tags, and enzymatic conjugation methods to effectively present antigens on the surface of protein nanoparticle vaccine scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeyoung Park
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332-2000, USA
| | - Thomas Pho
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332-2000, USA
- BioEngineering Program
| | - Julie A. Champion
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30332-2000, USA
- BioEngineering Program
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